I finished the challenge on 24th December – it was a close finish! But I did it, with just over a week to spare. It was a fantastic year, one that I enjoyed a surprising amount. I wonder what my next Big Challenge will be?

Below are the rules of the challenge that I completed:

In 2013, I wanted to solve 2500 cryptic crossword clues from the weekday Guardian newspaper. In turn what I asked people to do is pledge to donate 1p per clue I solve, approximately £25 throughout the year. JUST ONE PENNY PER CLUE. If they were extravagant, they donated 2p!

The rules:

Answers must be entered correctly in the grid to count. Misspellings will be considered incorrect. However if there is a legitimate ambiguity in the clue, as determined by a third party (@gjmale on twitter), an alternative solution may be accepted.

I will not cheat. Technically, the answers are available online immediately, but I will not look at them until I check how many clues I have correctly solved in the crossword.

Clues must be solved by 11:59:59pm on the day of publication.

I am solving CLUES. If a clue has multiple entries, e.g. the answer to a clue goes in entries 1 across and 3 down, even though it’s two entires I have solved ONE CLUE.

No anagram solvers may be used.

The only minor solving aids are allowed is Bradfords Crossword Dictionary (which is awesome by the way).

I solved the clues for Rethink, the mental health charity, for several reasons. Firstly, people who solve puzzles and crosswords are likely to retain better mental health as they grow older – making this a fitting charity for this challenge. Secondly, Rethink provide support for people who suffer from a wide range of mental health issues, and also promote research into the underlying causes and new therapies to deal with them.

Thirdly, and most importantly in my case, I have had mental health issues in the past – and the taboo surrounding them is large. I would like to raise awareness for the fact that depression, from which I have suffered for several years, affects a wide range of people and can have a crippling impact on their lives and I should know. It’s not just “I feel a bit sad”, it alters your sleeping pattern, how much you eat, your energy levels and even the rate at which you speak. I refused to get help for over a year before I finally saw a doctor about it – and I’m still not recovered yet. But I’m getting there, I want to say to people that being depressed is nothing to be ashamed about. Having said that, it’s something I still struggle with daily. I want to help break through the taboo of mental health, and prove that we’re not “crazy” as people think. Given an estimated 1 in 4 people suffer from depression during their lifetime, how to keep mentally well needs to be talked about more often.